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#1 Elladar Sep 12, 2015 12:45:49

I have long been a lurker (for well over a decade without migrating accounts) and have never felt compelled to post before.  However, rangers have been one of my favorite classes from the beginning (ever since I started in the 80's), and I love the discussion this edition has elicited, as well as the DIY flexibility and sensibility (that is really very "ranger" in and of itself).  So I am contributing my thoughts, as well as a complete rebuild of the class.  I hope I did not take so long to write this that it will be lost in the flood of new ranger ideas.   The Ranger        The ongoing question is: What is a ranger? Throughout the editions, it has overlapped with other classes, been a warrior, a rogue, a druid, a barbarian and even a little bit of wizard.  It has had favored enemies, favored terrain, animal companions, and multiple weapon styles.  It has been a strong spellcaster, a weak spellcaster, and a non-spellcaster.  So where does this all lead?        I posit that the ranger needs to be first examined without mechanics to determine what the point is.  There seem to be three themes that come up repeatedly that resonate with many players as to why they find the class compelling, whether it is mechanically the best or the worst (and it has been both, many times).        Broadly, these are: a connection to nature, flexibility, and survival.   Nature’s Warrior: First and foremost, the ranger has a strong connection to nature.  Whether they are paragon guardians of the forest or cullers of the herd, rangers have long understood the natural world in a way few others can.  More than a druid (who is nature’s caretaker), the ranger is nature’s warrior, be it through cooperation or exploitation.  (Many of us older players are stuck on the Aragorn-all-rangers-must-be-good vibe, possibly even more than the lawful-stupid paladin archetype.  It is a beautiful thing to recognize that rangers of Malar can exist, as well as cannibalistic Halfling rangers).   Flexibility: Back in the dawn of time, it was very difficult for characters to have abilities from a number of sources, and rangers called to those of us who wanted to cover a range of situations.  In many ways, that was the ranger’s true defining niche—a niche that has disappeared over the editions as more flexibility entered the game as a whole.  What this means, is that we need to come up with different ways for rangers to be flexible.  This may make it a more complex class than some of the others, with trickier resource management, but it is probably ok to have one warrior that is more challenging.  (Arguably the paladin is on par for resource management, but really they are more focused on nova damage than flexibility, so it is a distant comparison).   Survivor: Whether in the wilderness or combat, the ranger is tough.  They may be able to take more punishment, or they may be able to avoid it (through stealth, trickery, or avoidance).  Endurance of the elements and control of the situation and conditions around them are the hallmarks of a good survivalist.  Countless times the ranger is the last one standing at a near-TPK, or better yet the one who circumvents the potential TPK in the first place.   DESIGNER’S NOTE ON THE BUILD: The build is inspired by the UA rangers, the rangers (and other classes, kits, prestige classes and paragon paths) from each edition, and many of the thoughts and ideas brought up in discussion on these boards.  There is not a spell-less variant (though the warden could happily go his whole career without using a spell slot for spells).  If you want a wilderness warrior who doesn’t cast spells but has maneuvers, make a dex-based outlander rogue/fighter or any number of other possible “rangers.”      Mechanically, a few things define this class.  The unique one is the expenditure of hit dice for more options than simply healing.  Rangers use their internal fortitude and ability to “cowboy up” is ways that traditional fighters and rogues simply cannot. It may bring up (and hopefully eliminate) the “hit points are meat” debate.      Similarly, rangers use concentration for many effects other than spells, a result of their intense focus.      The other unifying mechanic (often connected to the first) is flexibility.  The base chassis is able to alter features with time and effort, and each of the archetypes has options to react on the fly to new situations.  Mostly, they are tactically fluid with ways to alter the landscape of a battle (whether literally or metaphorically).      Depending on feedback, I will repost this without designer’s notes and such, as well as with more fluff description (rather than the quasi-historical analysis of the class).       In all honesty, I would be tempted to call this class The Woodsman, or The Wanderer, or possibly The Explorer, and have the first archetype be called The Ranger, but sacred cows and all.  Without further ado, the class: